As a child (in the late 60s) I read a story that may have been by Ray Bradbury. It concerned a man who couldn't die, having been rendered immortal by having some miraculous compound applied to a wound by a army surgeon in some long past European (I think) war. The man longed for death basically. What was the story called? Can anyone help?

Not Bradbury!

I'm gonna go with 100% not Bradbury here. Will let people here have a go before posting the Stumper links.

This sounds a bit (but not exactly) like "The Man Who Couldn't Die" which was written by Emile Tepperman and broadcast in 1946 on "Inner Sanctum" as "Elixer Number Four". A great episode with the late Richard Widmark.

Which reminds me, Sundance, of a conversation I had just last night in which I was surprised to hear... See "Leave Taking!"

This is what I have done in the past with these story IDs and still hope to do again whenever I have time, (which I MUST tell myself I will...someday...but it won't happen this year!) but in the meantime it REALLY helps if people do their own.

1. Go to the Abebooks forums. After registering, make sure you are in the "Booksleuth" forum, as it will bounce you back to the "Community" forum. http://forums.abebooks.com/abesleuthcom Post under "Science Fiction." If I were you, I wouldn't crosspost there, although some stories fall into more than one category, i. e. Children's and Science Fiction. This forum houses the most friendly, helpful, useful, knowledgeable, KINDHEARTED folks I've been able to find online--besides Bradbury's own forum, of course.

2. Go to Google Groups (or, if you REALLY MUST, Usenet--same groups in a different form, only Usenet preferers seem to have a less efficient system coupled with a superior, know-it-all attitude.) Start with this one: http://groups.google.com/group/alt.books.isaac-asimov?lnk=lr because Asimov is the author most frequently mistaken for Bradbury. Even if the story isn't one of Dr. Asimov's, his fans are polite, helpful, and widely read in other Science Fiction. When you post there, crosspost to the following groups: rec.arts.books, rec.arts.books.childrens, and rec.arts.sf.written The worst that will happen is some obnoxious troll, most likely on rec.arts.books.childrens where a number of them have taken up semipermanent residence, who has nothing better to do, will call you rude for crossposting (WHY, I have never determined and refuse to argue it with them.) The best that will happen is you only have to type your question (or copy and paste the one you already typed) once, and it will simultaneously appear in all four groups. If the people who answer just hit "reply" without stripping out the other addresses, all answers will appear in all those groups, so you only have to check one instead of opening up four groups separately. Usenet has a smattering of knowledgeable and helpful folks along with a community of idiots with too much time on their hands, but a lot of people see questions posted there and you may receive semidecent answers.

3. If all these free sources fail, go to: http://www.logan.com/loganberry/stump.html They are the ultimate authority and if the question can be solved nowhere else, it is well worth the $2.00 they charge to have it posted to their site, where it will stay on the unsolved pages until solved, without getting "bumped down" the way things do in message board format. It will then go permanently to the solved pages in case anyone else ever has the same question.

4. Lastly, most important! When you get your answer, whether it be right away or months or years later, PLEASE come back and post it here! If your post is no longer near the top, you can find it by clicking "Find" at the top of the page and searching for your username or some other unusual or distinctive phrase. It would also be nice to mention from what source the answer came. If it's not posted here, it will end up on my "unsolved" list if and when I do get time to go back through all these, and I'll end up doing all of the above unnecessarily (except for paying for other peoples' stumpers, at which I draw the line)! Thanks!

Hope this helps!

Many thanks for the replies - particularly you Dandelion - I'll check out the links you suggest (Asimov does sound like a good bet). Thanks also Braling II, I checked out the Tepperman story & it isn't that one.

Amazing, after all this time searching, I tried out your Abebooks forum, Dandelion & literally within a few minutes I got a result (& further confirmation).

The short story is called "Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?", written by Gerald Kersh in 1953. I just need to find a copy in print now!

Once again, many thanks

This message has been edited. Last edited by: alfslad,

Ok as long as you guys feel like helping...

There was a story I read when I was a kid about a reporter/radio announcer/host who was doing a publicity stunt/show. He handcuffed himself to a bedpost (I think) in a haunted house and was reporting from there for a radio show. I forget the details but the jist was that the audience's belief in the radio program ( ala H.G. Wells ) brought the fictional monster to life. In the book it was some sort of giant clam (I kid you not!) and the next morning all that was found in that room was the microphone, handcuffs and a slimey trail. ( Almost sounds like a night out with Paris Hilton )
Does anyone remember a story even remotely close to this?

quote:

Originally posted by Parish:
Ok as long as you guys feel like helping...

There was a story I read when I was a kid about a reporter/radio announcer/host who was doing a publicity stunt/show....

I feel certain I've read that one---but unfortunately I have absolutely no idea where I read it, now!

Parish, your description made me think of H.R. Wakefield's classic short story, "Ghost Hunt", in that there was an announcer who broadcast over the radio about his stay in what turned out to be a VERY haunted house. However, to the best of my memory, there was no "giant clam" and no pair of handcuffs in the story, so I suspect that is not the one you are looking for.

Thanks Richard...I'll start there and see where it brings me!

quote:

Originally posted by theoctobercountry:
I feel certain I've read that one---but unfortunately I have absolutely no idea where I read it, now!

Well if it hits ya PLEASE let me know!

I have received these leads from Book Sleuth

Don't know the title or author, but I'm positive I've read this story, and I've been looking for it myself. One extra bit I remember was after they'd gone off the air, the reporter called the station begging them to put him back on the air so he could tell people it was a prank, so the monster would cease to exist.

Anyway, though I don't know the name of the story, this might help: I read it in a collection of short stories, and one of the other stories stuck with me. It was about a young boy who lived in a small house built on a lot where a much larger, older house had been. It still had the basement from the old house. He was convinced that a monster lived in the basement, and was always checking the lock on the door to the basement and touching the door to reassure himself of its sturdiness. His parents, in an attempt to cure him of what they viewed as a childish fear, locked him in the kitchen (where the door was) and propped the door to the basement open, with terrible consequences.

Also, the edition I read had a small drawing at the beginning of each story. I recall that the oyster monster one had a pretty confusing picture, but the basement door story had a picture of a door. I think it was half open and you could see gloomy steps leading downwards.



Edited 5/7/2008 4:32 pm by Edward_Coffin



I seem to remember reading a similar story (obnoxious reporter gets comeuppance during publicity stunt in haunted house) by James Schmitz - however, I don't recall the title.

wayrad

That 2nd story is 'The Thing in the Cellar' by David Keller, if that helps....



Okay, let's see here... If "The Thing in the Cellar" is also in the book that contained the story you are looking for (as stated above...) That tale appeared in the following short-story anthologies. If you go to the following website, you will see clickable links, where you can check out the contents of all the books, to see if that helps...

http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?57099

Title: The Thing in the Cellar
Author: David H. Keller, M.D.
Year: 1932
Type: SHORTFICTION

Publications:

* The Supernatural Reader, (date unknown , Groff Conklin, Lucy Conklin, Collier Books, #AS 392 V, $0.95, 352pp, pb, anth)

* Weird Tales, March 1932, (1932 , Farnsworth Wright, $0.25, 144pp, magazine)

* Avon Fantasy Reader, #6 1948, (Mar 1948 , Donald A. Wollheim, Avon Book Co.; New York, $0.35, 124pp, Digest, magazine)

* Life Everlasting and Other Tales of Science, Fantasy and Horror, (1949 , David H. Keller, M.D., The Avalon Company, $3.50, 394pp, hc, coll)

* Tales from Underwood, (1952 , David H. Keller, M.D., coll)

* Tales from Underwood, (1952 , David H. Keller, M.D., Pellegrini Cudahy, $3.95, vii+322pp, hc, coll)

* The Supernatural Reader, (1953 , Groff Conklin, Lucy Conklin, Philadelphia: Lippincott, $3.95, 349pp, hc, anth)

* The Supernatural Reader, (1958 , Groff Conklin, Lucy Conklin, London: World/WDL Books, #M706, 2/6d, 252pp, pb, anth)

* Twisted, (1962 , Groff Conklin, Belmont, #B50-771, $0.50, 189pp, pb, anth)

* Twisted, (May 1962 , Groff Conklin, Belmont, #L92-535, $0.50, viii + 189pp, pb, anth)

* Twisted, (1963 , Groff Conklin, Horwitz, 130pp, pb, anth)

* Twisted, (1963 , Groff Conklin, Horwitz, #PB153, 4/-, 130pp, pb, anth)

* Monster Festival, (1965 , Eric Protter, Vanguard, $4.95, 286pp, hc, anth)

* Worlds of Weird, (Jan 1965 , Leo Margulies, Pyramid, #R-1125, $0.50, 158pp, pb, anth)

* The Supernatural Reader, (1967 , Groff Conklin, Lucy Conklin, Collier Books, #01911, $0.95, 352pp, pb, anth)

* The Folsom Flint and Other Curious Tales, (1969 , David H. Keller, M.D., Arkham House, $5.00, 256pp, hc, coll)

* The Supernatural Reader, (1970 , Groff Conklin, Lucy Conklin, Collier Books, $0.95, 352pp, pb, anth)

* Deadly Nightshade, (1977 , Peter Haining, Gollancz, L3.40, 189pp, hc, anth)

* House Shudders, (Sep 1987 , Martin H. Greenberg, Charles G. Waugh, DAW, 0-88677-223-0, $3.50, 332pp, pb, anth)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Parish,

Edward Coffin is a great name!

Gerald Kersh is the author of,"What Ever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo?".
He was a soilder in the Napoleon army and was injured in the head by an axe, the attending field doctor poured some experimental "elixir" in the wound endowing Corporal Cuckoo with rapid healing from injury, unnatural strength, and immortality.
The elixir was composed of oil of roses, turpentine, and honey.
Corporal Cuckoo was explaining his life story to a newspaper reporter during WWI on a hospital ship on its way back to the US.
One possible source for obtaining a copy of the story is "Star Science Fiction Stories #3" which is where I first read the story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Science_Fiction_Stories_No.3
It's a good read, somewhat close to the Highlander theme of immortality, battles fought, and passage through time.